Four Queen’s University faculty members have been inducted as Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), the academy announced on June 14. Kim McAuley, Mark Diederichs, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Mark F. Green, and Ugo Piomelli are among the 52 inductees for 2021.

Additionally, Queen’s alumni, Kim Sturgess, founder and CEO of Alberta WaterSMART, was the recipient of the Léopold Nadeau Memorial Award.

The CAE is the national institution through which individuals, who have made outstanding contributions to engineering in Canada, provide strategic advice on matters of critical importance to Canada and to Canadians. Fellows of the CAE, a self-governing, non-profit established in 1987, are nominated and elected by their peers in recognition of their distinguished achievements and career-long service to the engineering profession.

An induction ceremony to honour the 2020 and 2021 fellows will be held in October.

Dr. McAuley is an award-winning researcher in mathematical modeling of chemical processes, whose models and statistical techniques are used by chemical and pharmaceutical corporations for process design, scale-up, optimization and control. Collaborating with medical physicists, Dr. McAuley, a winner of the DG Fisher Award and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, utilized modeling and statistical skills to advance the field of radiation dosimetry. Her team developed gel dosimeter recipes with enhanced sensitivity and chemical safety, which are used for quality assurance of 3D radiation dose distributions generated by cancer radiotherapy equipment. Dr. McAuley is lab leader of the Chemical Process Mathematics Lab, a multi-institutional laboratory of the Fields Institute’s Centre for Quantitative Analysis and Modeling.

Dr. Diederichs is an accomplished geological engineer with an exemplary record of contributing to the profession and positively influencing students/peers. He is a world expert, prominent lecturer, and top researcher. He is a sought-after international expert consultant, with roles in design and construction of world class tunnelling, mining, and hydro-power projects, producing tangible results through improved understanding of rock engineering at the project scale. Dr. Diederichs’ contributions to the engineering profession has vastly improved understanding by society, researchers, and industry regarding state-of-the-art geotechnical engineering. He is a visionary engineer with an outstanding record of creativity, enthusiasm, and innovation. Dr. Diedrichs was also named a Fellow of the American Rock Mechanics Association in early 2021.

Dr. Green, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), was recently the program leader for the innovative Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program, “Sustainable Engineering in Remote Areas.” Dr. Green is an internationally recognized leader in applications of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) materials to concrete structures, and the dynamics of bridge-vehicle interaction. He has published over 250 journal and conference papers and has won the Professional Engineers Ontario Medal for Research and Development and the Premier’s Research Excellence Award. Dr. Green is an advocate for engineering education for Indigenous students.

Dr. Piomelli is an international leader in the field of fluid mechanics and has developed advanced models for the prediction of turbulent flows and applied them successfully to problems in engineering and the natural sciences. His studies have resulted in improved understanding and prediction of the physics of turbulence. Models Dr. Piomelli introduced are in widespread use in the industrial and research communities. His impact is reflected in his publication and citation records, in the placement of his students in faculty positions at prestigious Universities in the U.S. and Europe, and in the awards and fellowships he has received.

The Léopold Nadeau Memorial Award for Distinguished Service is presented to acknowledge and celebrate the extraordinary efforts made by a fellow, helping to further the objective of the Academy. Dr. Sturgess received the award, which was established in 2008, to recognize her efforts as president of the CAE (2011-12). During her tenure, Dr. Sturgess refocused the operations of the Academy to be active, forward looking and take a more strategic approach. She also played a crucial role in the development of the Calgary section of CAE and promoted a significant increase of Western Canada representation in the Academy. Dr. Sturgess, who graduated from Queen’s with a degree in engineering physics, also received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Queen’s in 2016. That same year, she received the Order of Canada for her outstanding achievement, dedication to the community, and service to the nation. She was previously awarded the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal, YWCA Women of Distinction Award, and named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, among many other accolades.

For more information, visit the CAE website.